Explain state transfer points in nursery admission: Delhi HC

Published: Wednesday, February 26, 2014, 9:50 [IST]

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday, asked the city government to explain the logic behind giving five additional points to children of parents who come under the inter-state transfer category in nursery admissions. "What is the logic behind these five points? Why should one get an additional point for getting transferred here? We don't see any logic in this. It is open to malpractices," said division bench of Acting Chief Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Siddharth Mridul while hearing a plea of parents challenging the transfer category in new nursery admission guidelines.

The bench then posted the matter for Friday. In December 2013, Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung had set down new norms for nursery admission in the capital in which five points were to be allotted in inter-state transfer cases. The bench sought response from Jung by Friday but clarified that it would limit the scope of the case to the inter-state transfer quota only. Residents of Delhi moved the court saying the quota was unfair to them as their children were deprived of five points in the open seats parameters. The plea said their children had little chance over children of inter-state transfer cases as they get a five-point head start in the admission race. The new admission norms gives 70 points to neighbourhood criteria, 20 points for a sibling studying in the same school, five points for parent alumni of the school and five points for inter-state transfer cases.

In another case, a division bench of Justice Ravinder Bhat and Justice R.V. Easwar asked the central government to make its stand clear by Friday on a plea challenging fresh nursery admission guidelines which clubbed the economically weaker section (EWS) category with that of disabled children. Disabled and poor children were clubbed in a common 25 percent quota for admission in nursery. Earlier up to three percent seats for children with special education needs were reserved.